Courgette, Arabic

There are many different types of Courgettes available today. The colours range from light yellow to deep, dark green with stripes. They mostly come in oblong shapes but some varieties are round too.

Courgettes were initially young Marrows, but in the last few decades they have been grown in their own right and are now regarded as a different vegetable. Marrows came to Europe from North America in the 16th century, but not much else is known about their history, as there are no longer any native species that correspond to the plants we grow today.

This is a tender but sturdy light green Middle Eastern variety, locally referred to as Koussa.

Additional Information

How We Grow It

We grow our courgettes for most of the year in our shaded shabra and only move them into the cooled grow-houses during the summer months. Courgettes need a lot of sunlight and a moisture-retentive rich soil.

Nutrition

Courgettes are a good source of Vitamin A, C and K. They also contain significant amounts of Manganese, Potassium, Magnesium and small quantities of Folate. They are also rich in flavonoid poly-phenolic antioxidants such as carotenes, lutein and zeaxanthin.

Health benefits

The dietary fibre in Courgettes can help to lower cholesterol, and the nutrients are strong anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatories that can help to prevent cancer and can help to treat diseases such as asthma, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The manganese is important for collagen formation and the magnesium and potassium can help to lower the blood pressure and can help to alleviate stress on the body’s circulatory system.